Illumination assembly for dental and medical applications

ABSTRACT

A small, lightweight, high intensity illumination assembly for use in dental and medical applications. The illumination assembly includes attachment means for removable attachment to headgear such as eyeglasses, face shields, or headbands, and lenses, loupes, and binoculars associated with such headgear. The illumination assembly is able to achieve extremely light weight by using only a single optical element therein, e.g., an aspheric condensing lens, binary optical element, or holographic optical means, and by piping illumination to the optical element from a remote light source by use of a flexible light guide, e.g., a fiberoptic bundle.

The present application is a reissue application of U.S. Pat. No.5,667,291.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to the field of head-mountedillumination devices for medical and dental use, and specifically to thefield of small, lightweight, high-intensity illumination assemblies formedical and dental use which are mounted on the user's head to providecoaxial illumination.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Personnel who work in medical and dental fields frequently have a needto illuminate a portion of a patient or workpiece as they operate on thepatient or workpiece. At the same time, they require the free use oftheir hands. Both of these needs are met by illumination assembliesknown to the art which are mounted on the user's head or headgear andwhich illuminate the patient or workpiece. An example of such anapparatus can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,513 to Klein et al., whichdescribes a headband whereupon a lamp is mounted.

However, there are certain characteristics which are desirable inhead-mounted illumination assemblies and which the devices of the priorart fail to either partially or entirely include.

First, the illumination beam supplied by the illumination assemblyshould correspond as closely as possible to the user's line of vision,i.e., the illumination assembly should illuminate the patient orworkpiece from a point as close to the user's eyes as possible(preferably from immediately between the eyes). Otherwise, the user'shands, arms, or other objects may obstruct the light path and castshadows upon the patient or workpiece and increase the difficulty inviewing the patient or workpiece. Also, dentists and medical personneloften have a need to look into very small holes, such as holes drilledinto teeth, and the interior of such holes generally cannot be viewedwithout direct illumination along the axis of the hole. If theillumination source is mounted near the user's eyes and emits a beam ofillumination which is parallel to and very nearly coaxial with theuser's line of sight, the chances for the creation of shadows isminimized. Additionally, such a mounting position ensures that the userwill automatically illuminate any area that the user views provided theuser's head is directed toward that area.

Second, the illumination assembly should be safe and comfortable towear. Some prior an devices include light sources mounted on a user'shead or headgear, such as those of U.S. Pat. No. 3,350,552 to Lawrenceand U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,513 to Klein et al, which respectivelyillustrate lamps mounted to eyeglasses and a headband. These deviceshave proven to be disadvantageous in that they can create a great dealof heat at a point close to the user's head, especially ifhigh-intensity lightbulbs are used. These devices can therefore beintensely uncomfortable to wear because they cause hot air to rise intothe user's face when the user looks down, they cause perspiration fromthe user's forehead to drip into the user's eyes (and onto the patientor workpiece), and they can even cause burns to the user or patient whenthey grow hot enough. Because the prior art illumination assemblieswhich mount a light source directly to the user's head are souncomfortable, many devices instead use a light guide to transmit lightfrom a remotely-located light source. Examples of such devices areillustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,285,242 to Wallace, U.S. Pat. No.4,234,910 to Price, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,951,139 and 4,104,709 to Kloots,U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,736 to Kloots et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,331,357 toCooley et al.

Third, the illumination assembly should be capable of use on differentparts of the user's head, and should also be capable of being adjustablypositioned to illuminate different desired areas. Many of the prior anillumination assemblies are not very versatile because they arepermanently mounted within already existing headgear, such as theillumination devices of Cooley et al. and Price, which show eyeglasseswith illumination elements at opposing sides of the eyeglass framesadjacent the support legs. These devices can neither be used without theassociated headgear nor repositioned to illuminate different areas ofthe patient or workpiece. Additionally, if an illumination assembly ispermanently affixed to headgear such as eyeglasses, headbands, faceshields, etc., it is often difficult to use a second type of headgear inconjunction with the first type of headgear and the illuminationassembly. For example, a face shield can either scatter or entirelyobstruct the light emitted from the devices of Price and Cooley et al.

Fourth, since the illumination assembly may become contaminated withparticles from the patient or workpiece or fluids splashing therefrom,the illumination assembly should be easy to clean.

Fifth, the illumination assembly should produce an illuminated spot ofhigh and uniform intensity. A small, bright spot is extremely importantto most medical and dental applications, such as when the interior of acavity must be viewed (e.g., the interior of a hole drilled within atooth). In that case, full illumination of the cavity is desired withminimum illumination of the surrounding area outside the cavity.Ideally, the spot size should also be variable in order to allow theuser to tailor the spot size to fit the area to be illuminated. U.S.Pat. No. 4,104,709 to Kloots describes an illumination device whichprovides a continuously variable spot size, as does U.S. Pat. No.3,285,242 to Wallace.

Sixth, the weight of the illumination assembly should be small enoughthat the headgear does not dig into the user's head and so that the useris virtually unaware of its presence on the user's head. The prior artillumination assemblies tend to be quite heavy due to their use ofseveral optical elements (lenses, prisms, mirrors, etc.) and means formounting these optical elements within the illumination assembly. Theseveral optical elements are required in order to produce a properlysized, well-defined, uniform spot, especially in the illuminationassemblies which allow for a variable spot size (e.g., theaforementioned patent to Wallace and U.S. Pat. No. 4,104,709 to Kloots).Because the optical elements must generally be made of heavy, high-graderefractive glass to decrease their size and increase their opticalquality, the optical elements comprise a substantial percentage of theillumination assembly's overall weight. Due to the weight of the glass,the addition of even a single additional optical element tends todramatically increase the weight of an illumination assembly.Additionally, while the art is beginning to develop plastic lenses ofhigh optical quality and lighter weight than glass lenses, these lensesare not preferred for use at exposed portions of the illuminationassembly because they are more easily scratched, scuffed, or otherwisedamaged during cleaning.

The weight of the illumination assembly can also create greater problemsthan discomfort. It can make a substantial difference in its operabilityand safety of use, since a heavy illumination assembly can causeheadgear to shift or even fall off the head. For example, if the priorart illumination assemblies were attached to lenses, loupes, ortelescopic binoculars used in association with eyeglasses, such as“ORASCOPTIC DIMENSION-3” telescopic binoculars (Orascoptic Research,Inc. of Madison, Wis.), they would cause the binoculars to relocatedownward rather than staying focused at the height the user desires.This can be disastrous where the user's hands are performing animportant medical procedure since the user may be forced to interruptthe procedure to readjust the binoculars, or else simply proceed andperform the procedure with impaired vision. As another example, when theprior art illumination assemblies are mounted to eyeglasses, they tendto pull the eyeglasses off of the user's head if he or she looksdownward. Obviously, the user would prefer not to have the illuminationassembly and its associated headgear fall upon or within the operatingarea on the patient or workpiece.

Seventh, the illumination assembly should be as small as possible toincrease its case of use and to prevent interference with the user'sbinocular or peripheral vision. Many of the prior art illuminationassemblies have a large and awkward size, either due to theirincorporation of internal illumination sources directly within theassembly or due to the requirements of the optics within the assembly.This is especially true of the aforementioned illumination assemblieswhich provide variable spot size. Also, large illumination assembliesinterfere with the user's binocular vision when mounted coaxiallybetween the user's eyes.

The prior art illumination assemblies are also difficult to use whenmounted coaxially, or when mounted to headgear in general, due to theiruse of bulky and heavy electrical or light guide cords. These cords canbind and inhibit repositioning of illumination assemblies due to thestiffness of the cords, and they can also interfere with the user'sbinocular or peripheral vision. Thick and heavy cords are alsouncomfortable to wear when draped over or about the user's head, andthey contribute to a feeling that the user is bound or “leashed” to thepower supply or remote illumination source. While the prior artillustrates smaller, lighter cords for supplying power or illuminationto illumination assemblies, the smaller and lighter cords have thedrawback that they cannot bear as much power or illumination to theillumination assemblies. Thus, if the user wishes to obtain theadvantages of a smaller cord, he or she is generally forced to settlefor less illumination.

In summary, the prior art does not include an illumination assemblywhich provides a sufficiently small and intense variable spot size whileat the same time providing a versatile illumination assembly which issmall and lightweight enough that it can be attached to various forms ofheadgear. In particular, the prior art does not include an illuminationassembly as described above suitable for attachment to and use witheyeglasses, headbands, or face shields in accompaniment with lenses,loupes, or binoculars associated with the eyeglasses, headbands, or faceshields.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The illumination assembly of the present invention overcomes thedisadvantages of the prior art by providing an illumination assemblycomprising a light guide having an output end and an input end, theinput end being adapted for connection to a remote illumination source,a housing having a light guide opening and an illumination opening, theoutput end of the light guide extending within the housing and beingaligned to illuminate the illumination opening, a single optical elementwithin the housing, the optical element being mounted within theillumination opening, and attachment means for removably attaching thehousing to headgear.

Additionally, the illumination assembly of the present inventionovercomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing anillumination assembly comprising a light guide having an output end andan input end, the input end being adapted for connection to a remoteillumination source, a housing having a light guide opening and anillumination opening, the output end of the light guide extending withinthe housing and being aligned to illuminate the illumination opening, apositive lens mounted in the illumination opening, the positive lenshaving a curved face adjacent the output end and an opposing generallyplanar face, and attachment means for removably attaching the housing toheadgear.

Further, the illumination assembly of the present invention overcomesthe disadvantages of the prior art by providing an illumination assemblycomprising a housing having an interior surface bounded by a light guideopening and an illumination opening, a housing base telescopically androtatably engaged to the interior surface of the housing, the housingbase being adapted to support a light guide to illuminate theillumination opening, a positive lens mounted in the illuminationopening, the positive lens including an aspheric face adjacent thehousing base and an opposing generally planar face, and attachmentmeans, pivotably attached to the housing base, for removably attachingthe housing base to headgear.

The illumination assembly uses a remote illumination source andtransmits the illumination to the illumination assembly by use of alightweight flexible light guide, such as a fiberoptic bundle, andtherefore avoids heating the user's head or excessively weighting theuser's head. The housing of the illumination assembly may be adjusted toalter the distance between the light guide and the optical element andthereby provide a variable size illuminated spot of high and uniformintensity.

The illumination assembly utilizes a single optical element in place ofthe multiple optical elements found in the prior art. The opticalelement for use within the illumination assembly is contemplated to bean positive focal length refractive lens, more particularly an asphericcondensing lens having a planar face and an aspheric face wherein theaspheric face is directed toward the light guide. This lens has beenfound to work admirably well in place of multiple optical elements.

Versatile attachment means for removably attaching the illuminationassembly to the user's headgear (e.g., face shields, headbands, andeyeglasses, and associated lenses, loupes, and binoculars) allow theillumination assembly to be quickly fit to a wide variety of differenttypes of headgear. The attachment means allows mounting of theillumination assembly in a position between the eyes of the user toprovide coaxial in-line shadowless illumination of the operating site,and to automatically illuminate the area the user is viewing.

The illumination assembly is small, having a maximum dimension ofapproximately 1.8 inches without the attachment means and light guide,or approximately 1.6 inches when the housing is telescopically reducedto minimum length. By using only a single glass optical element withinthe housing and by remotely locating the illumination source, the weightof the illumination assembly is substantially reduced when compared tothe illumination assemblies of the prior art. The weight is furtherreduced because there is no need for the heavy ceramic potting orreflective means that are required when the illumination source islocated within the illumination assembly, and because a light guidehaving a small diameter is used. The weight of the illumination assemblywithout the attachment means and light guide is only approximately 8-10grams when a plastic housing is used.

Due to its low weight, the illumination assembly is ideal for use withheadgear such as face shields, headbands, and eyeglasses, and associateddevices such as lenses, loupes, and binoculars, since it will not causethe headgear or associated devices to shift or fall from the user'shead. Additionally, the illumination assembly is small enough in bothdiameter and length that it does not interfere with the user's binocularvision when mounted coaxially; it is virtually invisible to the userwhen mounted between the eyes. The light guide is small enough that itis unseen and virtually unfelt by the user, and its weight and stiffnesswill not cause the illumination assembly to inadvertently readjust orreposition against the user's wishes. Despite the small size of thelight guide, its use does not decrease the illumination of theillumination assembly due to the high efficiency of the remainder of theassembly.

Further advantages, features, and objects of the invention will beapparent from the following detailed description of the invention inconjunction with the associated drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the illumination assembly of the presentinvention shown mounted on a pair of telescopic binoculars affixed to apair of eyeglasses.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the illumination assembly ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the illumination assembly ofFIG. 1 situated in an alternate position.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the illumination assembly shown without theattachment means.

FIG. 5 is a side elevated view of the illumination assembly shownwithout the attachment means.

FIG. 6 is a rear elevated view of the illumination assembly shownwithout the attachment means.

FIG. 7 is a side elevated view of the housing of the illuminationassembly.

FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of the housing of the illuminationassembly taken along line 8—8 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is a side elevated view of the housing base of the illuminationassembly.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the housing base of the illuminationassembly.

FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view of the housing base of theillumination assembly taken along lines 11—11 of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a side elevated view of the preferred attachment means of theillumination assembly.

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the preferred attachment means of theillumination assembly.

FIG. 14 is a rear elevated view of the preferred attachment means of theillumination assembly.

FIG. 15 is a front elevated view of the retainer ring of theillumination assembly.

FIG. 16 is a side cross-sectional view of the retainer ring of theillumination assembly taken along line 16—16 of FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the pin of the illumination assembly.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of an alternative attachment means for theillumination assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the drawings, wherein the same or similar features are designatedthroughout with the same reference numeral, the illumination assembly ofthe present invention is shown at 20 in FIGS. 1-3. The illuminationassembly 20 has five main components: a housing 22 which contains anoptical element 24, a housing base 26 engaged to the housing 22 andwherein a light guide 28 enters, and a clip 30 which provides attachmentmeans for removably attaching the housing base 26 to the user's head orheadgear. Throughout this specification, when reference is made toattachment of the illumination assembly 20 to the user's head toheadgear, this is understood to include attachment to implements mountedon the user's head such as eyeglasses and goggles, face shields andmasks, and headbands and helmets, as well as similar implements. It isfurther understood to include attachment to accessory implements such aslenses, loupes, and binoculars mounted on the aforementioned implements.Each of the components of the illumination assembly 20 will be discussedin turn.

FIGS. 4-8, and particularly FIGS. 7-8, best illustrate the housing 22.The housing 22 has a rear cylindrical portion 32 and a forwardfrustoconical portion 34. The forward frustoconical portion 34 includesan interior surface 36 having a rim 38 which defines an illuminationopening 39. An interior bevel 40 is included on the interior surface 36near the rim 38 so that the optical element 24 may be received thereinand affixed in snap-fit relation, by staking or adhesives, or by otheraffixment means known to the art. The forward frustoconical portion 34additionally includes an exterior attachment bevel 46 whereupon filtersmay be attached in snap-fit fashion if desired. Other modes of filterattachment, such as threaded attachment, may be used by configuring theexterior attachment bevel 46 accordingly.

The rear cylindrical portion 32 of the housing 22 has a rear end 48, acircumferential engagement slot 50 located near the rear end 48, and apin slot 52 on its interior surface 54. The purposes of these featureswill be described shortly. The pin slot 52 is preferably formed bydrilling an entry hole 56 on the exterior surface 58 of the rearcylindrical portion 32 and extending the drill until it emerges on theinterior surface 54, and further extending the drill so it exits throughan exit hole 60 back to the exterior surface 58.

In the preferred embodiment of the illumination assembly 20, the maximumdiameter of the forward frustoconical portion 34 is approximately 0.78inches and the diameter of the rear cylindrical portion 32 isapproximately 0.47 inches. This small diameter is especially helpful inavoiding interference with the user's binocular vision. The distancebetween the rear cylindrical portion 32 and the interior bevel 40 isapproximately 0.47 inches. The housing 22 has an overall length ofapproximately 1.26 inches. The housing 22 is made of “VALOX” or “NORYL”(General Electric, Inc., New York, N.Y.), though other plastic, metal,or ceramic substances could be used.

The optical element 24, which is shown best in FIGS. 4 and 5, ispreferably a refractive lens having a positive focal length, i.e., apositive lens. Such a lens collects illumination from within the housing22 and projects it to an area in front of the housing 22. While aplano-convex lens could be used for the optical element 24, superiorresults (i.e., better spot size and intensity with a smaller and lighterlens) have been found to occur with the use of an aspherical lens havinga curved surface 42 and an opposing planar surface 44. The preferredoptical element 24 is the No. 17.1025 aspheric condensing lensmanufactured by Rolyn Optics Company of Covina, Calif., which has an 18mm diameter, a center thickness of 7.4 mm, an edge thickness of 3.3 mm,a focal length of 15 mm, a back focal length of 10.1 mm, and is made ofB-270 glass.

The optical element 24 is mounted within the interior bevel 40 with itscurved surface 42 adjacent the interior surface 36 of the forwardfrustoconical portion 34 of the housing 22, and with the planar surface44 facing outward to provide a flat surface for cleaning purposes. Someprior art illumination assemblies have the disadvantage that they use anexposed curved lens surface, and matter can splash from the operatingsurface onto the lens surface and collect either on the face of the lensor in the corners where the lens is joined to the housing. The matterwould then dry and firmly adhere to the lens surface, especially inthose illumination assemblies wherein the lens surface was subject toheating from the illumination source. The matter would become extremelydifficult to clean off without scrubbing, and scrubbing sometimes causesscratches in the lens and gradual degradation of the illuminationquality. The exposed planar surface 44 does not provide a concave lenssurface wherein matter can adhere, nor does it provide the tight cornerbetween the optical element 24 and the housing 22 that a convex lenssurface provides.

The housing base 26 is illustrated in detail in FIGS. 9-11. The housingbase 26 has two main portions, a plug portion 62 and a clip portion 64,with a light guide channel 66 running through both portions. The plugportion 62 includes a head 68, a neck 70, and a body 72, and is adaptedto fit closely within the rear cylindrical portion 32 of the housing 22.As best shown by FIG. 11, the light guide channel 66 includes a lightguide opening 73 in the body 72 wherein the light guide 28 enters, andtapered and threaded portions 74 and 76 near the head 68 adapted toreceive a threaded end terminator on the light guide 28. The body 72contains a helical groove 78, the purpose of which will be explainedshortly.

The clip portion 64 of the housing base 26 is adapted to be fastened toattachment means so that the housing base 26 and the associated housing22 may be affixed to the user's headgear. Thus, the clip portion 64 issubstantially flattened and includes a pin aperture 80, and is thereforeideally suited for insertion within and attachment to a clevis, as willbe discussed below.

In the preferred embodiment of the illumination assembly 20, the housingbase 26 has an overall length of approximately 1 inch, of which the clipportion 64 occupies approximately 0.34 inches. The housing base 26 ismade of “VALOX” or “NORYL”, though other plastic, metal, or ceramicsubstances could be used.

The light guide 28 has an input end (not shown) for connection to aremote light source, and also an output end 81 which bears a threadedend terminator known to the art, e.g., a 6-32 screw thread endterminator. The light guide 28 may be any type of light guide known tothe art, such as singular or bundled plastic or glass fiberoptic cablesor liquid-filled light guides. The preferred embodiment of theillumination assembly 20 utilizes a bundle of several glass fiberopticcables with a total optical transmission diameter of 2 mm and anumerical aperture greater than or equal to 0.5. Exemplary fiberopticcable is manufactured by Dolan-Jenner Industries, Inc. of Lawrence,Mass., and also by Fiberoptic Systems, Inc. of Simi Valley, Calif.Exemplary liquid-filled light guides are made by Electro-Lite Corp. ofDanbury, Conn. and Oriel Corp. of Stratford, Conn. Regardless of howmany fibers are chosen for the fiberoptic bundle or what the opticaltransmission diameter of the light guide 28 is to be, the use ofmultiple fibers is recommended because it reduces the potential forbreakage of the light guide 28 as compared to the prior art single-fiberillumination assemblies. A 2 mm or smaller light guide is preferredbecause larger light guides are heavy, clumsy, and difficult to affix tocertain headgear (e.g., to glasses) and to drape about the user's head,and they further tend to be so heavy and stiff that they interfere withfine positioning of the illumination assembly 20 or cause theillumination assembly 20 to inadvertently reposition during use.

The illumination assembly 20 is shown in assembled form in FIGS. 4-6without the attachment means. Apart from the housing 22, optical element24, housing base 26, and light guide 28, three additional components arerecommended for inclusion within this portion of the illuminationassembly 20. The first component is a retainer ring 82. The retainerring 82 is a frustoconical ring having a front rim 84, a rear rim 86,and an interior surface 88. The retainer ring 82 includes a lip 90protruding radially inward from the interior surface 88 at the front rim86. The retainer ring 82 is preferably made of a flexible resilientmaterial which can be slightly deformed without breaking, and which willgenerally tend to revert to its original shape after deformation. In thepreferred embodiment of the invention, the retainer ring 82 is made outof “VALOX” or “NORYL”. The second component is a pin 92, which is asmall rod-like member which is preferably made of metal, such asstainless steel. The third component is an O-ring 93 made of siliconerubber or a similar flexible high-friction substance, and which isadapted to fit within the neck 70 of the housing base 26.

To assemble the portion of the illumination assembly 20 illustrated inFIGS. 4-6, the optical element 24 is inserted within the interior bevel40 and affixed therein by staking the rim 38 (as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5by means of heat, ultrasound, or other means. Alternatively, the opticalelement 24 may simply be glued into the interior bevel 40 my use ofadhesives known to the art. The light guide 28 is inserted within thelight guide channel 66 of the housing base 26, and its end terminator isattached to the head 68 of the housing base 26 within the light guidechannel 66. As noted earlier and as shown in FIGS. 4-5 and 9-11, thetapered portion 74 and threaded portion 76 of the light guide channel 66are adapted to receive a threaded end terminator. The O-ring 93 isslipped over the plug portion 62 of the housing base 26 until it restswithin the neck 70. The retainer ring 82 is slipped over the plugportion 62 of the housing base 26 with the rear rim 86 first. Thehousing 22 is then slipped over the plug portion 62 of the housing base26 so that the plug portion 62 rests within the rear cylindrical portion32 of the housing 22. The helical groove 78 in the plug portion 62 ofthe housing base 26 is aligned with the pin slot 52 on the interiorsurface 54 of the rear cylindrical portion 32. The pin 92 is insertedwithin the entry hole 56 to engage both the pin slot 52 and helicalgroove 78. When the pin 92 is fully inserted within the pin slot 52, itextends from the entry hole 56 to the exit hole 60 without protrudingfrom the exterior surface 58 of the rear cylindrical portion 32. Theretainer ring 82 is then slid forward on the rear cylindrical portion 32of the housing 22 until the lip 90 engages the engagement slot 50. Whenthis is done, the interior surface 88 of the retainer ring 82 holds thepin 92 within the pin slot 52 and prevents it from falling out of theentry or exit holes 56 and 60.

When the housing 22, housing base 26, retainer ring 82 and pin 92 areassembled in the arrangement described above and as shown in FIGS. 4-6,the housing 22 may be rotationally telescoped in relation to the housingbase 26 due to the action of the pin 92 within the helical groove 78. Ascan be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, this telescopic adjustment alters thedistance between the optical element 24 and the terminal end of thelight guide 28, and therefore provides for adjustment of the spot size.The O-ring 93 provides frictional means for preventing unwantedtelescopic rotation of the housing 22, and it also prevents moisturefrom entering the housing 22.

Attachment means for removably attaching the illumination assembly 20 toheadgear may then be mounted to the clip portion 64 of the housing base26 to form the completed illumination assembly 20.

FIGS. 1-3 and 12-14 illustrate the preferred attachment means, a clip30. The clip 30 is divided into a clip clevis 96 and a clip leg portion98. The clip clevis 96 includes a clevis slot 100 adapted to receive theclip portion 64 of the housing base 26 therein. The clip clevis 96further includes a pivot aperture 102 wherein a fastener may be insertedto pivotally affix the clip clevis 96 to the clip portion 64. The clipleg portion 98 includes a first leg 104 and a second leg 106 which arespaced to accommodate some part of headgear therebetween to retain theclip 30 on the headgear. In the clip 30, each of the legs 104 and 106 isfurcated by the inclusion of respective peg slots 108 and 110, thepurpose of which will be described below. The clip 30 may be made ofsuitable metal, plastic or ceramic materials, and the preferredembodiment of the clip 30 is made of “VALOX” or “NORYL”.

The construction of illumination assembly 20 is completed by insertingthe plug portion 62 of the housing base 26 within the clevis slot 100 ofthe clip 30. A fastener (preferably a screw) is inserted through thepivot aperture 102 to pivotably affix the two parts together. When fullyassembled, the housing 22 and optical element 24 can move in two degreesof freedom: they can rotate upward and downward about the clip clevis96, and they can move forward and backward by rotationally telescopingthe housing 22 about the plug portion 62 of the housing base 26.

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate the use of the clip 30 to mount the illuminationassembly 20 to a binocular telescope and eyeglass system 300 known tothe art, a brief description of which is now provided. The binoculartelescope and eyeglass system 300 includes eyeglasses 302 and binoculartelescope 304. An exemplary binocular telescope 304 is the “ORASCOPTICDIMENSION-3” binocular telescope (Orascoptic Research, Inc., Madison,Wis.), and the description set forth herein will be made with referenceto that binocular telescope, though it is understood that theillumination assembly 20 is not limited to either this binoculartelescope or even this type of headgear in general. The binoculartelescope 304 is attached to the eyeglasses 302 by use of a pivot member306. The pivot member 306 is attached to a bridge 308 which an includesa bridge adjustment knob 310 for adjusting the extension of arms 312 andthus the interpupillary distance of loupes 314.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first leg 104 and second leg 106 of theclip 30 may be slipped over the bridge 308 with the peg slot 108accommodating the bridge adjustment knob 310 therein. Alternatively, asshown in FIG. 3, the illumination assembly 20 may be inverted so thatthe peg slot 110 accommodates the bridge adjustment knob 310 therein andthe housing 22 rests between the loupes 314 to provide direct on-linecoaxial illumination. Preferably, the area on the first leg 104immediately adjacent the peg slot 108 and the area of the second leg 106immediately adjacent the peg slot 110 each bear a beveled surface 112 toassist in easy insertion of the bridge adjustment knob 310 within eitherpeg slot 108 or 110. The light guide 28 may be directed up to thenosebridge of the eyeglasses 302 and directed about the user's head asdesired, for example, by taping or clipping the light guide 28 to a rim316 of the eyeglasses 302. Unlike the illumination devices of the priorart, the illumination assembly 20 is light and small enough that it willnot cause the binocular telescopes 300 to tip downward about the pivotmember 306, nor will it interfere with the use's binocular vision whencoaxially mounted. Additionally, the use of the 2 mm fiberoptic bundlefor the light guide 28 provides exceptionally high illuminationintensity, but it still allows for easy mounting of the illuminationassembly 20 onto binocular telescopes 300 or similar headgear withoutinterfering with the user's vision, comfort, or ease of using theillumination assembly 20.

The attachment means described above may be replaced by any type ofclip, buckle, latch, bracket, hook, loop, fastener, carriage, or similarattachment structure of means known to the art, also including adhesiveand magnetic means. An example of an alternative embodiment of theattachment means is illustrated by a clip 200 illustrated in FIG. 18.The clip has a first member 202 having a jaw 204 and a handle 206, and asecond member 208 with a jaw 210 and a handle 212. The jaws 204 and 210are biased into a normally closed position by a spring 214. The jaws 204and 210 are furcated so that they each include a peg slot 216 forreceiving the bridge adjustment knob 310 therein. Additionally, the jaws204 and 210 each include a pair of spaced ridges, a forward ridge 218and a rear ridge 220. The second member 208 includes a clip clevis 222which defines a clevis slot 224 wherein the clip portion 64 of thehousing base 26 may rest. The clip clevis 222 further includes a pivotaperture 226 wherein a fastener may be inserted to affix the clipportion 64 to the clip clevis 222.

By pressing together the handles 206 and 212, the jaws 204 and 210 openso that the jaws may encompass and grasp either the bridge 300 ofbinocular telescope 302 or the nose bridge 310 of eyeglasses 304, inwhich case the nose bridge 310 may rest between the forward ridges 218and the rear ridges 220. Alternatively, the clip 200 could be attachedto other parts of the binocular telescope 302 or eyeglasses 304 instead,such as to the arms 312 of the binocular telescope 302 of the rim 316 ofthe eyeglasses 304. Because the clip 200 has spring-biased jaws 204 and210 which may be adapted to grasp virtually any object, the clip 200 maybe affixed not only to the binocular telescope 304 or eyeglasses 302,but also to headbands, face shields, or similar headgear. It isunderstood that a particular type of attachment means may be rapidlyremoved from the clip portion 64 of the housing base 26 and replacedwith attachment means with different sizes and strengths suitable forattachment to different types of headgear.

The illumination assembly 20 is provided with illumination from a remotelight source known to the art (not shown). An example of such a remotelight source is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,910 to Price. The lightsource used in the preferred embodiment of the illumination assembly 20is the “FIBER-LITE” model 180 light source manufactured by Dolan-JennerIndustries, Inc. of Lawrence, Mass., with a 150 watt EJA lamp usedwithin. Other suitable light sources are the “FIBER-LITE” model 170-D byDolan-Jenner Industries, Inc. or the model I-150 fiberoptic illuminationlight source made by Cuda Products Co. of Jacksonville, Fla. The lightsource preferably has a “breakaway” safety release at the attachmentterminal where the light guide 28 is attached to the light source sothat if the light guide 28 is given a sudden jerk, the terminal willrelease the light guide 28 rather than causing it to break. The remotelight source also preferably has such features as a rheostat or similardevice for selectively adjusting the illumination intensity to maximizebulb life, 110 and 220 volt operation capability, and a quiet coolingfan mechanism.

Because the light source is located remotely from the illuminationassembly 20 and the illumination is piped in via the light guide 28,negligible heat is transferred to the user and/or patient or workpiece.If the illumination assembly 20 should transmit an undesired amount ofinfrared or ultraviolet radiation to the illumination assembly 20, theuser may attach a filter to the exterior attachment bevel 46 of thehousing 22 to filter out these radiation components. This step ishelpful where light-cured materials are being worked with at the patientor workpiece, such as the light-cured composites used in dentistry.Alternatively (or additionally), the user could introduce a filter ordichroic mirror within the remote light source so that only the desiredradiation components of illumination enter the light guide 28. This ishelpful where plastic fiber(s) is used in the light guide 28 sinceplastic fiber can generally withstand less heat.

The preferred embodiment of the illumination assembly 20 as describedabove has a spot 1¾ inches in diameter with an intensity ofapproximately 30,000 lux, and the housing 22 may be telescoped toprovide a spot of 2¾ inches diameter and approximately 24,000 lux. Bothof these readings are obtained where the optical element 24 is locatedapproximately 12 inches from the illuminated object. Since theillumination assembly 20 is actually located between 3-4 inches from theuser's eyes when it is affixed to telescope binoculars 304 as shown inFIGS. 1-3, the user actually achieves a spot size of 1¾-2¾ inches indiameter when the user's head is positioned approximately 15-16 inchesfrom the patient or workpiece. This spot size is well-suited for medicaluse and ideal for dentistry, as it provides full illumination of an oralcavity. There is negligible scattered light or stray light outside ofthe illuminated spot, and the illumination within the spot is onlyslightly center-weighted with minimal blurring at the spot edges. Thespot is automatically directed to wherever the user is looking, so theuser does not need to adjust an overhead light while operating.

Due to its small size, the illumination assembly 20 does not strike orinterfere with the user's forehead when the binocular telescopes 302 areflipped about the telescope pivot 308 into a position parallel to theuser's forehead. Since the illumination assembly 20 weighs only 8-10grams versus 35-40 grams for similar illumination assemblies on themarket, the user is for all practical purposes unable to notice thepresence of the illumination assembly 20 on the user's head on accountof its weight.

Owing to the small size and light weight of the illumination assembly 20and its use of the clip 30, the illumination assembly 20 is far moreversatile than the prior art illumination assemblies. It can easily beremoved and reattached to different parts of headgear if the user findsit desirable to do so. For example, if the user wishes to wear atransparent face shield or safety goggles over a pair of eyeglasses, theillumination assembly 20 can be detached from the eyeglasses andremounted on the face shield or safety goggles.

It is understood that the illumination assembly 20 is not limited to theparticular arrangement of parts and/or construction described above, butembraces such modified forms thereof that come within the scope of thefollowing claims. For example, it is understood that a unitary housingcould be used in place of the housing 22 and the housing base 26. It isalso understood that different telescoping or telescopically rotatingfastening arrangements between the housing 22 and the housing base 26which do not use the retainer ring 82 and pin 92 arrangement arepossible. For example, the housing 22 may simply act as a sleeve andtelescopically slide over the housing base 26. Alternatively, internalthreading may be included within the rear cylindrical portion 32 of thehousing 22 and complimentary exterior threading may be included on theplug portion 62 of the housing base 26. However, the arrangementdescribed previously is preferred because it prevents the housing 22from possibly detaching or unscrewing from the plug portion 62 of thehousing base 26 and falling onto the patient or workpiece.

Additionally, while the optical element 24 is generally contemplated tobe a glass or plastic refractive lens, it need not necessarily be such alens. The optical element 24 could instead be any other type of opticalelement with positive properties. Examples of such optical elements arebinary optic means or a holographic optical element, which function onthe basis of diffraction rather than refraction. Another possibility isa gradient index optical element wherein the index of refraction of theelement varies linearly or radially about the optical axis to providethe desired optical characteristics.

Further, it is understood that in the claims, means plus functionclauses are intended to cover the structures described herein asperforming their recited function, and also both structural equivalentsand equivalent structures. As an example, though a nail and a screw maynot be structural equivalents insofar as a nail employs a cylindricalsurface to secure parts together whereas a screw employs a helicalsurface, in the context of fastening parts, a nail and a screw areequivalent structures.

1. An illumination assembly comprising: a. a light guide having anoutput end and an input end, the input end being adapted for connectionto a remote illumination source; b. a housing having a light guideopening and an illumination opening, the output end of the light guideextending within the housing and being aligned to illuminate theillumination opening; c. an aspheric lens mounted within theillumination opening; and d. attachment means for removably attachingthe housing to headgear.
 2. The illumination assembly of claim 1 whereinthe light guide comprises a fiberoptic bundle.
 3. The illuminationassembly of claim 1 wherein the light guide has a diameter of less than3 millimeters.
 4. The illumination assembly of claim 1 wherein thehousing includes a housing base telescopically engaged to the housing,wherein the output end of the light guide is attached to the housingbase to provide an adjustable relationship between the output end an theaspheric lens.
 5. The illumination assembly of claim 4 wherein thehousing includes a helical groove therein, and a key riding within thehelical groove.
 6. The illumination assembly of claim 1 in combinationwith eyeglasses, wherein the attachment means is removably attached tothe eyeglasses.
 7. The illumination assembly of claim 1 in combinationwith binocular telescopes, wherein the attachment means is removablyattached to the binocular telescopes.
 8. The illumination assembly ofclaim 1 wherein the housing includes an attachment bevel for filterattachment surrounding the illumination opening.
 9. The illuminationassembly of claim 1 wherein the light guide opening and the illuminationopening are both generally circular and are coaxial.
 10. Theillumination assembly of claim 1 wherein the attachment means comprisesa clip pivotally mounted to the housing.
 11. The illumination assemblyof claim 1 wherein the aspheric lens has a diameter of less than 2centimeters.
 12. An illumination assembly comprising: a. a housinghaving a light guide opening and an opposing illumination opening; b. ahousing base adjustably engaged to the housing, the housing base beingadapted to support a light guide to illuminate the illumination opening;c. a positive lens mounted in the illumination opening, the positivelens including an aspheric face adjacent the housing base and anopposing generally planar face; and d. attachment means, pivotablyattached to the housing base, for removably attaching the housing baseto headgear.
 13. The illumination assembly of claim 12 having a mass ofless than 10 grams.
 14. The illumination assembly of claim 12 having amaximum dimension of less than 2 inches.
 15. The illumination assemblyof claim 12 wherein the lens has a diameter of less than 2 centimeters.16. The illumination assembly of claim 12 in combination with a lightguide supported within the housing base.
 17. The illumination assemblyof claim 16 wherein the light guide is a fiberoptic bundle.
 18. Theillumination assembly of claim 12 wherein the housing is telescopicallyengaged to the housing base.
 19. The illumination assembly of claim 18including a key located between and rotatably engaging the housing andhousing base.
 20. The illumination assembly of claim 12 wherein thehousing includes an attachment bevel surrounding the illuminationopening, the attachment bevel being adapted for attachment of a filter.21. An illumination assembly for dental and medical applicationcomprising: a. a lightweight, flexible light guide having an input endand an output end, the input end being adapted for connection to aremote illumination source; b. a small, lightweight housing having aninput end having an interior surface that defines a light guide openingand an output end having an interior surface that defines anillumination opening, the output end of the light guide extending withinthe light guide opening and being aligned so that light therefromilluminates the illumination opening; c. only a single lens mountedwithin the interior surface of the output end of the housing, said lensbeing an aspheric lens thereby providing a light source of such weightand size that it may be mounted to headgear so that an illumination beamtherefrom substantially corresponds to the user's line of sight; and d.means for attaching the housing to the headgear.
 22. The illuminationassembly of claim 21 wherein the light guide is a fiber optic bundlehaving a diameter less than about 3 millimeters.
 23. The illuminationassembly of claim 21 wherein the light guide is a fiber optic bundlehaving a diameter less than about 2 millimeters.
 24. The illuminationassembly of claim 21 wherein the housing includes a housing basetelescopically engaged to the housing, wherein the left guide is fiberoptic bundle, wherein the output end of the light guide is attached tothe housing base, and wherein means are provided for adjusting thedistance between the output end and the aspheric lens.
 25. Theillumination assembly of claim 23 wherein the housing includes a helicalgroove therein, and a pin riding within the helical groove.
 26. Anillumination assembly for dental and medical applications comprising: a.a lightweight, flexible fiberoptic bundle including several opticalcables and having an input end and an output end, the input end beingadapted for connection to a remote illumination source; b. a small,light weight housing including an input end having an interior surfacethat defines a light guide opening and an output end having an interiorsurface that defines an illumination opening, the output end of thefiberoptic bundle extending within the light guide opening and beingaligned so that light therefrom illuminates the illumination opening; c.only a single lens mounted within the interior surface of the output endof the housing, said lens being an aspheric refractive lens, therebyproviding a light source of such weight and size that it may be mountedto head gear so that an illumination beam therefrom substantiallycorresponds to the user's line of sight; and d. means for attaching thehousing to the headgear.
 27. The illumination assembly of claim 21 or 26in combination with an implement mountable on a user's head, wherein theattaching means is removably attachable to the implement.
 28. Theillumination assembly of claim 27 wherein the implement mountable on theusers head is eyeglasses.
 29. The illumination assembly of claim 28wherein a binocular telescope is mounted on the eyeglasses and theattaching means is removably attached to the binocular telescope as thatthe housing is substantially coaxial with the line of sight of thetelescope.
 30. The illumination assembly of claim 21 or 26 wherein theattachment means comprises a clip for removably attaching the housing tothe headgear substantially coaxial with the user's line of sight. 31.The illumination assembly of claim 29 wherein the clip is pivotallymounted to the housing.
 32. The illumination assembly of claim 21 or 26wherein the aspheric lens has a diameter of less than 2 centimeters. 33.The illumination assembly of claim 21 or 26 wherein said illuminationassembly without the light guide and mounting means has a weight of lessthan about 10 grams.
 34. The illumination assembly of claim 21 or 26wherein said lens include an aspheric face and an opposing planar face,the lens being mounted such that said aspheric face faces inwardly. 35.An illumination assembly comprising: a. a light guide having an outputend and an input end, the input end being adapted for connection to aremote illumination source; b. a housing having a light guide openingand an illumination opening, the output end of the light guide extendingwithin the housing and being aligned illuminate the illuminationopening; c. only a single optical element, the single optical elementbeing a single aspheric lens mounted within the housing; and d.attachment means for removably attaching the housing to headgear. 36.The illumination assembly of claim 35 wherein the light guide comprisesone or more fiberoptic cables.
 37. The illumination assembly of claim 35wherein the light guide comprises a liquid-filled light guide.
 38. Theillumination assembly of claim 35 wherein the light guide has a diameterof about 3 millimeters or less.
 39. The illumination assembly of claim35 wherein the housing includes a housing base coupled to the housing,wherein the output end of the light guide is coupled to the housingbase.
 40. The illumination assembly of claim 39 wherein the output endof the light guide is attached to the housing base to provide anadjustable relationship between the output end and the aspheric lens.41. The illumination assembly of claim 39 wherein the housing includes ahousing base telescopically engaged to the housing.
 42. The illuminationassembly of claim 39 wherein the housing includes a helical groovetherein, and a pin riding within the helical groove.
 43. Theillumination assembly of claim 35 in combination with an implementmounted on a users head, wherein the attachment means is removablyattached to the implement mounted on a users head.
 44. The illuminationassembly of claim 43 wherein the implement mounted on the users head iseyeglasses.
 45. The illumination assembly of claim 44 wherein theimplement mounted on the users head is a binocular telescope.
 46. Theillumination assembly of claim 35 wherein the housing includes anexterior attachment bevel for filter attachment surrounding theillumination opening.
 47. The illumination assembly of claim 35 whereinthe housing includes an interior attachment bevel.
 48. The illuminationassembly of claim 35 wherein the light guide opening and theillumination opening are both generally circular and are coaxial. 49.The illumination assembly of claim 35 wherein the attachment meanscomprises a clip for removably attaching the housing to headgear. 50.The illumination assembly of claim 35 wherein the attachment meanscomprises a bracket for removably attaching the housing to headgear. 51.The illumination assembly of claim 49 wherein the clip is pivotallymounted to the housing.
 52. The illumination assembly of claim 35wherein the aspheric lens has a diameter of less than 2 centimeters.